We Built This #1: Sadaqat Hussain on The Cube, Birmingham
Posted on: 17 June, 2024
For the first instalment of our We Built This series, we sat down with Sadaqat Hussain, Senior Surveyor at CBRE, to discuss how The Cube has inspired him.
From residential houses and urban spaces to bridges, towers and skyscrapers, the products of the built environment affect everyone on the planet and leave a lasting legacy that can inspire people for generations to come.
As part of UCEM’s Be Part of the Change campaign, we’re talking to built environment professionals across the sector to celebrate their incredible achievements and encourage new people to join our sector. We’re asking each member of the sector to tell us about the buildings, communities and infrastructure projects that inspire them or they have been a part of in the UK and across the world.
Our first entry for We Built This is from Sadaqat Hussain, Senior Surveyor at CBRE and an alumni of UCEM.
We talked to Sadaqat Hussain about The Cube, in Birmingham
Which building is this?
This is The Cube, in Birmingham, built in 2010. It’s a mixture of restaurants, hotels and a bit of residential as well.
What do you love about it?
What I love about the building is that it’s really quirky. There’s nothing quite like it in Birmingham. It’s kind of got different angles and shapes and twists and turns around it and it just makes it look very unique. And even when you go into the building, it’s like a little maze. It’s just a really wonderful space to explore and a beautiful site to look at.
What’s your connection to the building?
When I was growing up, it was a place we’d go to for a meal or during a Saturday day out. It’s next to a canal with a bridge where people will put little lockets and keyrings of their loved ones. Now that I’m in the industry, I can appreciate the technical aspects of the building and what it’s used for.
What do you think makes this a significant building?
It connects all the different districts in Birmingham, so it’s nightlife, it’s hospitality, it’s business, and it really centralises that purpose for the building to be used as a hub for everything.
Why do you love Birmingham?
First of all, it’s my home, it’s where I’ve grown up. But I think what I love about the city is that it’s so diverse. It’s so full of people from different walks of life, and that diversity is reflected in its leisure, its food, its clothing – and its buildings. Birmingham is the beating heart of England!
To find out more about the Be Part of the Change campaign and get involved, visit the homepage. If you’d like to get in touch with our Student Ambassadors for EDI, email outreachandinclusion@ucem.ac.uk
To learn more about Sadaqat’s career in the built environment, read his full student success story here.
Check out the second instalment of the We Built This series here.
